Camp
by xJulianGray
Summary: Eremin AU. The boys meet at summer camp.
1. Chapter 1

Day 1: The mess hall was packed to the brim. Every seat was filled, the walls lined with those unlucky enough to miss out on a spot. All faced front towards the stage area. It wasn't raised, and for all intents and purposes, it wasn't a stage, just a clear area where announcements were to be given.

It was the first day of camp, and the mass of people were gathered here to await cabin assignments. After a noisy wait, the owner of the camp and the counselors took the 'stage'; everyone cheered. Introductions took place, a schedule was outlined, and a rudimentary description of the grounds was given. Finally, the cabins were announced, starting with the ones for the youngest campers. Counselors called out the names of the kids who were staying in the cabin they were assigned to counsel, and once the whole group was called, they collected their things and left the hall.

Four cabins had been assigned, and next was the 15-16 year old boys. The counselor for that group stepped forward and took the mic. He read the names off a list on a clipboard, eight boys in all. They grabbed their stuff and headed for the door. On the way out, A short, blonde boy turned around hastily and hit another slightly taller, dark haired boy with his backpack "O-oh, I'm so sorry" he said.

The dark haired boy he hit smiled. "It's all good." He said, and after a second "I'm Eren." He reached out his hand to shake the boy with the backpack's hand. "I'm Armin" blonde backpack boy replied.

They followed the counselor and the rest of the boys to their cabin, having fallen a bit behind during their interaction. They walked in the door only a few seconds behind everyone else, yet the beds had all been chosen, leaving two bottom bunks across the room from each other. Eren took the bed on the left side, Armin on the right. They set their stuff down and started to unpack, utilizing the dresser drawer allowed for them. Once finished, Armin sat down on his bed and looked around the room, taking in his new surroundings. Eren caught his eye from across the room and Armin smiled. Deciding he'd like some fresh air, he stood up and walked towards the door. Eren stood up and followed. "Where are you off to?" he asked.

"I'm gonna take a walk before dinner. Want to come?" Armin replied. Eren nodded, and they set off to explore the grounds. The two walked, mostly in silence, taking in their environment, but here and there Eren would ask questions about Armin. He seemed to be the more curious and less open one. Armin answered happily, telling him about home, his parents, school, and the like, glad to have someone to talk to. Armin was usually a loner. At school he was frequently bullied, sometimes for his girlish hair, but often because he was, as they said, a 'crybaby'. It was a sort of vicious cycle; Armin sometimes cried when he was bullied, and they bullied him because he cried. It seemed he couldn't do anything right. So he relished in the attention Eren was giving him.

Eren, on the other hand, had always been brave and bull-headed. Though he didn't have many friends either, it didn't have to do with him being bullied; he was just more comfortable by himself. He was quiet, but not when he had something to say. Certainly he could be described as outspoken. Armin had yet to see this side of Eren, though, because so far, the boys just walked around the lush grounds in quiet, punctuated periodically by Eren's questions and Armin's answers.

After about a half-hour walk, a loud bell rang throughout the camp ground. Assuming it was the dinner bell, the two headed towards the mess hall. They realized they were correct when they came upon a mass of campers walking in the same direction. The boys followed the crowd and got their dinner, and went to find spots. Armin had made it through the line first and found a seat near the back left corner of the hall. He set his food down and looked up to see Eren looking around, presumably for Armin. The thought made Armin feel good. He waved his arm, trying to get Eren's attention. He saw and smiled, then made his way over to where Armin sat, now eating. He sat down next to the blonde and started eating. They ate without speaking to each other, though you could hardly call it silence; the hall was booming with voices and laughter. Armin finished first, and stood up to clear his tray and return to the cabin. As he left the room, he decided he'd wait for Eren.

Not long later, Eren came through the door Armin was waiting at. "Thought I'd walk you back" Armin said with a smirk. Eren chuckled and started walking in the direction of their cabin. Armin, however, had other plans, and steered them in the opposite direction, down a path towards the lake. Lights out wasn't for another hour or more, so he figured they had time for another stroll. Eren didn't protest, he enjoyed their earlier walk, and even thought he liked this kid. He seemed friendly, after all, and didn't do anything to annoy Eren as so many people often had.

The walked up a small grassy hill, and immediately down the other side, which revealed the large, super blue lake the camp was famous for. "Wow," Armin exclaimed softly "I've never seen so much water." Eren nodded his agreement. They continued their path around the lake, but this time, Armin felt up to questioning. Eren hesitantly agreed to answer questions about his home, his family, and his school life. Feeling contented with his answers, Armin stayed quiet for a bit, leading them to a shack near the lake shore that presumably held life vests and the like. He suddenly realized he was a bit tired, and slumped down the outer wall of the shack. He patted the grass next to him and Eren followed, sliding down and sitting close to Armin. The two stared out at the water, and the sun's lowering reflections on its surface. It made the whole horizon a lovely pinkish color.

Armin sighed and looked over at Eren. "It's been really nice walking with you, Eren" Armin admitted. Eren looked over and blushed ever so slightly. "Yeah, I think so too" he replied. "I'm excited to spend the whole summer here…" and after a fairly pregnant pause "…with you." Now it was Armin's turn to blush, but instead of turning away, as he usually would in situations that required bravery, he looked Eren in the eye and leaned in and kissed him. Eren's eyes went wide with surprise, but he quickly recovered and kissed back. After a short but lovely kiss, Armin pulled away first. "Wow," he said for the second time of the night "That was great." Eren stifled a laugh and blushed some more. Yeah, it had been great.

**A/N:** This is going to be my first ever multi-chapter fic, so please bear with me as I figure this process out. About the story, this is a total AU, but I tried to be as in-character as possible. Sometimes it sounds as if I'm treating Armin poorly, I noticed, but that's not my intention at all. I tried writing how I think Armin feels about himself, especially near the beginning of the series, so that's why there's some negativity. Thanks for reading this!


	2. Chapter 2

Day 3: The sun shone through the dusty windows of a long cabin hall. A group of about forty kids were gathered inside, seated six or so to a table, chatting loudly. At a corner table, Armin sat with the rest of his cabin. It was mid-day, and this group's turn at arts and crafts. Armin wasn't too pleased with the idea; he'd much rather have spent his afternoon reading under a tree or exploring the grounds further. They'd only been at camp a few days and Armin was still learning his way around. Eren sat to Armin's left, and he too wasn't keen on arts and crafts. He didn't have anything better planned, like Armin did, he was just too old for the activity, as he had told his cabin more than once. The group had a choice between making key chains or necklaces; Eren had scoffed at the idea, and Armin has chuckled to himself at Eren's boldness.

Armin was giving his attention to his key chain. Though not exactly excited about the activity, he didn't see the problem with giving it a go. Plus, he thought to himself, maybe it would make a nice gift for someone special. Eren, on the other hand, sat absentmindedly playing with the materials for his necklace, not interested at all in making one. The activities director bounced around the room, giving encouragement and pats on the back to the younger kids, and smiling at everyone's work. She approached the table where Eren and Armin sat, and noticed Eren's lack of anything. She frowned in his direction. "Not feeling it today?" she asked. Eren shook his head, a scowl on his face. "Why don't you give it a shot? If nothing else, you can give it to your mom. I bet she'd love it if you made her something." The director smiled at him and walked away to spread cheer elsewhere.

Eren's scowl intensified and suddenly, he stood up and started walking towards the door. Armin, noticing the sudden movement, looked up from his basically complete key chain. He watched Eren leave the hall, walking fast. Curious and concerned, Armin stood up to follow, pocketing his key chain. If he had walked any slower, he would have missed Eren entering the mass of trees nearby. He barely saw him as it was. Armin picked up his pace, wanting to catch up to Eren before he had to call his name out. Eren slowed down a short distance into the woods, allowing Armin to easily catch up and sparing him for yelling. He slumped down the trunk of a large tree, sitting with his arms around his knees. Armin wasn't sure how to react; he had only known Eren for three days, and although the two had been getting along great, especially after their kiss the first night of camp, he had never seen Eren so emotional. He was usually so calm and collected.

There was another tree almost directly to the right of the tree Eren was sitting against, and Armin decided to sit down there. Eren wasn't crying, but he had a faraway look in his eyes that suggested he was sad about something. Armin wanted to comfort him and find out what was wrong, but was scared they weren't close enough for such a reaction. Remembering how he chose to be brave by initiating their kiss two nights earlier, Armin decided to be brave in offering some help. He reached out his left arm and put it around Eren's shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Eren didn't answer for a little while, and then said softly, "I guess so."

"What's the matter?" Armin continued, hoping the issue wasn't too personal. He didn't want to scare Eren off.

"It's what the director said," Eren said with a sigh "About my mom." electing to let Eren continue as he saw fit, Armin didn't say anything.

He did continue, after another short pause. "My mom died a few years ago." Armin let out a gasp, but before he could offer his condolences, Eren spoke again. "I would love to give my mom a stupid necklace I made, but I can't. She's dead." He blushed at this sentence.

Armin tightened his hold on Eren's shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Eren." He said, leaning closer "That's just awful." Eren nodded. They sat in silence for some time, Armin holding on to his new friends, and Eren staring into the dense forest ahead of them. Eren broke the silence first. "It's okay. She didn't know, it's not like I told anyone. I just wish I _could _make a necklace for my mom, ya know?" At the end of that sentence, he looked at Armin for the first time since they were in the arts and crafts hall. Armin nodded. He didn't fully understand, of course, but he felt for Eren. At this, Eren flashed the tiniest of smiles.

Armin removed his arm from Eren's shoulders and dug in his pockets. He pulled out the mostly complete key chain he had been working on. He laughed at his sloppy handiwork, turning it over in his hands, before looking up into Eren's eyes. "I made this with you in mind." Armin said, handing Eren the key chain. Eren held it up to inspect it closer and a much larger smile spread across his face. It was thick braided string, not unlike a friendship bracelet, and in the middle was a small heart shaped bead.

"It's beautiful. For me? Really?" Armin smiled and nodded, before almost tumbling over, for Eren had crashed into him and pulled him in for a very tight hug. "Thanks, Armin, it means a lot."


End file.
